Aw, thanks -- I'm really glad you liked the story. AU definitely has its attractions...

I'm pretty conflicted about R/T in DH. I can understand and appreciate some of the motivations JKR has described in interviews for having Remus and Tonks die in the battle, and so I can't really say I think the deaths were senseless. But I was so sure after HBP that their story arc was about redemption and hope (not to mention werewolf rights!). And we were seeing those themes again in DH, in the first half, anyway. So I was disappointed that that wasn't where JKR went with their story.